THE traditional British 'booze cruise' is under threat from the migrant crisis because Calais is now so dangerous coach companies are considering boycotting the French port, it can be revealed.

Migrants in Calais. The 'booze cruise' to the French port could be scrapped by coach firms

Hordes of asylum seekers have moved away from the towns heavily-guarded docks and are instead targeting British coach parties stocking up on food and alcohol at the town's hypermarkets.

Worried travel bosses have told Express.co.uk that day trips to northern France could soon come to an end because organised gangs of refugees are pulling elaborate distraction stunts to smuggle people on board.

Drivers and companies face thousands in fines if the immigrants are later discovered at border controls, even if entry was clearly forced and they had no idea of their presence.

As a result, some firms have ordered coach drivers not to stop in Calais at all, depriving British tourists of the opportunity to pick up last-minute bargains.

Rob Cantwell, owner of Basildon-based coach firm L and R Transport Services, says he is facing a £3,000 fine after two asylum seekers were discovered in the luggage compartment of one of his coaches at Calais.

He said: "You can't afford to leave your coach in the supermarket unattended because they will break into it without a shadow of a doubt. It's getting worse and it's a situation where you think to yourself 'is it worth running these day trips'?"

GETTY • EXPRESS

It's getting worse and it's a situation where you think to yourself 'is it worth running these day trips'?

In a chilling indication of the sophisticated methods migrants are now deploying in their efforts to get to Britain, the young men had smashed their way into the coach with a crowbar whilst accomplices distracted the passengers and driver.

The coach had been trying to leave the car park of a hypermarket in Calais when a car pulled in front, pretending to have broken down, and blocked their route - allowing the stowaways to scramble on board unnoticed.

Mr Cantwell said he had previously been approached at a road-side diner outside Calais and offered £2,000 per person to smuggle people across the Channel.

He added that the situation is so bad that French police have now cordoned off all motorway lay-bys around the town, to stop truckers pulling over and being targeted by migrants.

He said: "You may make a few hundred pounds in profit from a day trip, but you now run the risk of coming through with someone managing to find their way onto the coach and being fined thousands.

"It seems like the Government is just blaming us for the situation - it's not fair that we're getting penalised for it when we're just trying to do our jobs.

"We've been doing these trips for 15 years and it's never been anything like this bad. This is the first time we've ever been found with anyone on one of our coaches.

"It's putting people out of businesses, situations like this, but they don't care."

On Monday shocking footage shot by a coach passenger in Calais emerged showing dozens of migrants breaking into a goods lorry queuing up to get on a ferry.

Sue Reynolds, the owner of Reynolds Diplomat Coaches, based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, said the situation is just as bad if not worse for coach companies, because such scenes can be hugely distressing for their passengers.

She said: "We're having the same problems at Calais as the trucks are.

"If you slow down in the area then you're at risk of people climbing onto the coach anywhere they can get in.

"One of the issues we have is that a visit to the continent usually involves stopping at the hypermarkets on the way back, and you have to be so vigilant there because you can be loading the customers' beers on one side and have people trying to climb into the coach on the other side.

"There are certainly gangs organising what's going on there and I have instructed all of my staff not to slow down, not to stop.

"Quite often they're trying to get into the engine compartment, which is horrendously dangerous. It's probably a measure of their desperation."

The businesswoman, who is also Director of Development and Administration at the respected London Tourist Coach Operators Association, said her firm narrowly avoided a fine this year after a migrant stowed away on top of the rear axle of one of her vehicles.

AFP • GETTY

French riot police try to stop the migrants boarding trucks heading to England

Asked if booze cruises – whereby Britons traditionally stock up on cheaper beer and wine on a day-trip to northern France - could become a thing of the past, she added: "If I suddenly got slapped with thousands of pounds worth of fines, yes, I'd pull them fast because there's just not enough money in these kind of trips to cover that."

She said that coach drivers cannot avoid using Calais like truckers - who are increasingly boycotting the notorious port in favour of safer alternatives - because other Channel crossings simply take too long.

Martin Allen, director of industry body the Bus and Coach Association, said French authorities need to employ more staff to tackle the crisis before it kills off cross-Channel tourism.

He said: "It's down to the port authorities, who should be stopping this, to solve this problem. They need more staff, it's as simple as that. There's got to be some control.

"If it happened to me I wouldn't pay the fine, I'd end up in prison first because the coach companies shouldn't be held responsible.

"If you're doing it for payment then that's one thing, but if they are breaking in it's wrong that you should get fined.

"There are huge costs for operators as it is these days without all this, and it just makes you wonder whether it's all worth it."

Official Home Office travel guidance warns British visitors to Calais that there are "large numbers of illegal migrants…who may seek to enter the UK illegally".

It adds: "Although local police patrols have been reinforced, you should keep vehicle doors locked in slow moving traffic and secure your vehicle when it is left unattended."

A spokesman for the Home Office said: "We continue to strengthen the security of our borders to stop those who have no right to enter the UK.

"One element of this work is the ability of Border Force to impose a penalty on any individuals or companies found to be carrying illegal immigrants.

“All coach drivers entering into the UK, including those entering from France, must take simple steps to avoid illegal immigrants boarding, such as ensuring the vehicle remains locked, compartments are secured and passengers are supervised when entering or exiting.

“Failure to take these steps and ensure an effective system of security is in place can result in a fine of up to £2,000 for each clandestine found to be on board.

“Border Force provides advice, guidance and an online checklist for haulage companies on how to secure their vehicle. To help avoid penalties and improve security, companies can also apply for Border Force Accreditation.”